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A former Santa Barbara police detective accused of masturbating in front of two teenage girls on Refugio Beach in 2009 dodged some of the most damning allegations against him when a Santa Maria jury returned its verdict Wednesday afternoon.

SBSO

Brian Sawicki

Brian Sawicki, 36, was found not guilty of annoying a child, lewd acts in public, and electronic peeping. He was found guilty of destroying evidence and resisting a peace officer. When he’s sentenced on November 15, Sawicki could face up to one year in jail for resisting a police officer, and up to six months in jail for destroying evidence.

When Sawicki was chased down and arrested in 2009, authorities found recording binoculars, an “Epic Stealth” camera, and a Canon camera in his backpack. The 13-year-old girls had told a responding ranger they saw Sawicki following them on the beach and thought they saw him masturbating. Sawicki’s lawyer told the jury during opening statements that the former cop was taking a photo to share with his girlfriend.

“Although I disagree with the outcome, I am always proud when members of the community make time to serve on a jury,” said prosecutor Brooke Gerard on Wednesday. “The girls said he was creepy, and the evidence clearly showed it,” she went on.

District Attorney Joyce Dudley responded to the verdict with a prepared statement: “We file charges based upon the evidence before us. For each filing our goal is to always the same, to seek justice; to do so we rely on the expertise of our [Deputy District Attorneys] and the collective wisdom of our hard-working juries.”

Comments

Com'on DUDley,You plea bargain a rapist who committed the rape in lot 10 in an elevator with a video of the rape and a victim who wants to prosecute for next to nothing; and then you don't plea bargain Ex-cop Sawicki a weak case after 3 1/2 years. Com'on DUDley????

Com'on indepedendant, Newspress, Grand jury, where is the research to show all the taxpayers; how many not guily and mistrial verdicts there have been under Ms. DUDley and lets not forget how many mistrials there were in just one high profile murder cases that had to be re-tried three times. Where is the outrage for the wasted tax money. Com'on